1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for making dehydrated potato products from potato flakes that can be reconstituted to make a dough for french fries, or to make mashed potatoes, without using a boiling liquid.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, two types of dehydrated potato products have been used to make instant french fries or instant mashed potatoes by reconstitution in liquid. These are potato granules and potato flakes, both of which absorb water readily and are produced commercially in large amounts. Because the processes by which these products are made are quite different, their properties tend to be quite different, whether they are made from freshly harvested potatoes, or from potatoes that have been in storage for many months. As a rule, potato flakes tend to have a lower density, are reconstituted in cold or warm liquid, and cannot tolerate boiling liquid reconstitution or whipping. Potato granules, on the other hand, tend to have a higher density, must be reconstituted in boiling liquid rather than in cold or warm liquid, and can withstand whipping without creating poor texture or pastiness. Thus, whether potato granules or potato flakes are preferred for a particular application depends upon the specific circumstances and the environment in which they will be used.
One of the major differences between the processes for making flake and granules is the absence of a starch retrogradation step in the flake process. Starch retrogradation is required in the granule process to attain proper granulation. However, starch retrogradation also tends to cause the granules not to rehydrate fully in cold water. Another significant difference between these two processes is that sulfites must be added during the processing of potato granules, but do not have to be added during the processing of potato flakes. This is important in those countries, like Japan, that do not want to buy food products that have sulfites in them.
Because potato flakes advantageously can be reconstituted in cold water, but their density is too low to be economical for many applications, many processes have attempted to increase the bulk density of potato flakes. Unfortunately, the result prior to the present invention has been the loss of some of the desirable characteristics of the potato flakes. For example, reducing the size of dry potato flakes until their density is comparable to that of potato granules causes the potato cell walls to rupture, leading to the release of large quantities of free starch. This causes pastiness in the reconstituted mash, even with the use of improvers. Processing the broken flakes for retrogradation of the free starch changes the flavor of the reconstituted mash and, as noted above, alters their rehydration characteristics by reducing their water uptake and their ability to reconstitute in cold liquid.
Accordingly, the need exists for a dehydrated potato product which is made from potato flakes so that it can be sulfite-free, and which can be reconstituted to make a dough for french fries or to make mashed potatoes without using a boiling liquid.